Frank Guida

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Frank Guida (May 26, 1922 _ May 19, 2007) was a noted Sicilian-American composer and music producer credited with discovering Gary U.S. Bonds, and was a songwriter for Leroy Toombs. Other performers discovered by Guida include Jimmy Soul, Lenis Guess and Pamala Stanley.

Born at Palermo, he came to New York with his family as a child. While stationed in Trinidad during the Second World War, he fell under the influence of calypso. He relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, where he opened a record store in 1953. That store, Birdland Records, is still in operation as of 2006.

He owned a number of record labels, including LeMonde (distributed by Atlantic), then Legrand (distributed by Rust/Laurie) and finally SPQR (distributed by London).

His most famous songs are If You Wanna Be Happy (recorded by Jimmy Soul), Quarter to Three, and New Orleans (recorded by Gary U.S. Bonds). His 'live' 'party-in-the-studio' sound is thought to have influenced Phil Spector.

Guida died in Norfolk in 2007.

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